I ONLY SAW HIS BACK

I only saw his back
as the man went from the shore;
his tee-shirt was a turquoise blue

Such wide shoulders -
a turn-on for any girl,
and a firmness in his step

His hair was thick;
and now, my dear, I'm struggling,
for I only saw his back

I will him to have children,
that man whose back I saw...
many children, who will run across the shore.

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IN THE SWEATSHOP

Working for peanuts,
Peta was sewing,
knowing her garments
would grace Princess Grace

Working, still smiling,
the dollars weren't piling
up in her piggy bank
down at the bank

Working for peanuts,
but she wasn't a monkey
Shame on the 'monkeys'
without shame on their face.

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time for sentry-go
so the sentry left his box
the queen's flag flying

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bright screens, so on-line;

 there is not much visible

    except cotton shirts

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TRICK PLAY

Not yesterday,
but days further, far far back,
but even then I could be wrong,
for memories trick play

Not tomorrow,
but way, way ahead in time,
but even then I could be wrong,
having no use for crystal ball

Not today,
for you do not know me,
and privacy is guarded
like a mink coat given suddenly

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SUSAN'S NECK

Susan's neck was like a swan's -
the first you noticed...
white and tapering,
with a white necklace.

Sometimes you found yourself
looking at her neck
instead of eyes or mouth.
It was strangely done!

You soon lost the drift
of what she said,
for her neck had a life of its own,
shifting, not trusting you or anyone.

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IN THE CRAZY CANTEEN

In the crazy canteen,
people threw plates
and let off steam...
The real canteen was somewhere else.

That one was an oasis of calm,
and people ate from plates quietly.
It was a place to talk to the boss
and hint at maybe, rises.

But in the crazy canteen,
the bosses did not go.
It was just for workers evidently,
throwing knives and forks.

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THE CAMPUS

The campus spreadeagled
a long, long way,
and students would lose
their bearings
Paths short shrifted
all the telling signs

Islands of trees and meadow flowers
thought to smooth the worried brows
of newer students
mishmashing timetables
and forgetting 
why they had come

Checking mobile phones
to see if dad had sent the payments,
and walking the long way round
to low-built dormitories
under clouds of slow to end
misapprehension

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